By JARED HENDERSON
MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys girls basketball team extended their home win streak to three games Friday night after defeating the North Fork Miners, 51-43.
Junior Addie Knowles played a pivotal role in the victory, notching a double-double with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Knowles has steadily increased her scoring totals over the past three games.
Junior Rylee Sullivan also contributed with nine points, five rebounds, and four steals. Sullivan has recorded at least two steals in each of the last three games.
The win improved Meeker’s record to 8-6. Head coach Megan Shelton expressed pride in her team’s resilience.
“I was very proud of how the girls handled the pressure of the game against North Fork,” Shelton said. “We were down at one point, and the girls were able to battle back for the win.”
On Saturday, the Cowboys traveled to Parachute to face the Grand Valley Cardinals, seeking a season sweep after a previous 37-19 win. However, the Cowboys came up short, falling 37-35 in a tightly contested game.
Despite the loss, Meeker started strong, outscoring Grand Valley 10-4 in the first quarter. Sullivan led the Cowboys with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Senior Taylor Garcia added four points and seven rebounds.
Grand Valley’s Brynil Dowd scored nine points, while junior Taylor Pittman tallied seven points, 15 rebounds, and four steals to propel the Cardinals to victory.
Shelton reflected on the game as a valuable learning experience.
“We unfortunately did not come out on top against Grand Valley,” Shelton said. “We were out a starter and were unable to execute well on offense. It was a good learning experience for us as a team.”
The loss dropped Meeker’s record to 8-7.
The Cowboys return to action Thursday, hosting Plateau Valley at 6 p.m. The following day, they will face Gunnison, with junior varsity starting at 4 p.m. and varsity tipping off at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, the team travels to Aspen to play the Skiers, with JV set for noon and varsity at 1:30 p.m.
Shelton outlined the team’s focus ahead of its matchup with Plateau Valley.
“We will continue to work on playing hard for all four quarters,” Shelton said. “I am excited to see how the girls do against Plateau Valley, as they have a bit more size on us down low. I think it will be a good competitive game for the team. I love watching the team grow in practice and on the court together. We will continue to build our individual and team skills throughout the rest of the season.”
Good luck to the team this weekend and as always go Cowboys!
